Mind Numbing
by Dagger of Faith
Summary: When Weiss woke up in the morning, she never expected to hear a second voice in her head. And she especially never expected it to be of her team leader.
1. Of Idiots and Heiresses

**Mind Numbing**

 **Chapter 1: Of Idiots and Heiresses**

 **A/N: Hey everyone! Trying my hand at a fluffy fic. White Rose OTP! Sorry if this concept has been done before. I think I remember seeing something like this before, but I'm honestly not sure. So if I am stealing someone's idea, please let me know and I'll take this down if the author or authors ask me to. Enjoy!**

* * *

 _ **Thump!**_

Weiss gagged as Ruby let out a howling laugh, clapping her hands in glee as her plan went from idiotic to perfection.

"That was awesome!" Ruby chuckled with glee as her expertise paid off in full.

* * *

Assigned to recreate a natural disaster from Remnant's past on a smaller scale for professor Oobleck's history class, Weiss and Ruby quickly paired up. Well, more or less Weiss was forced to work with Ruby as Pyrrha had already convinced Jaune to team up. Blake was already with Yang off constructing some sort of contraption right as the assignment was assigned. And Nora was out of the question. All of this left Weiss with only one option remaining: the dunce.

She didn't hate her team leader, far from it. She just hated the fact that she was a complete idiot from time to time. Still, perhaps she would be of some sort of assistance this time around. Gods forbid Weiss would have to do the entire project over again the night before like last time after Ruby traded theirs to Nora for a new cookie recipe. While the cookies were good, the lack of sleep it caused wasn't. And Weiss cherished sleep immensely.

Weiss quickly flipped through the options on her syllabus handed out by Oobleck just a minute ago, shaking her head at several.

"What about an earthquake?" Ruby chirped up, pointing at one of the options on the list. Weiss rolled her eyes as she moved the list closer to herself and away from the bumbling idiot.

"Or maybe a snowstorm!" Ruby appeared on her right now, looking down at the hidden list of potential disasters, not realizing she was a disaster.

Weiss growled as she moved the list yet again, looking at the options herself with finesse. She needed something that would get her the best grade possible.

"What about an-"

"Ruby!" Weiss slammed her hand down on the desk, causing the red head to jump in shock. "I am trying to read the options!"

"I was just suggesting..." Ruby muttered as Weiss sighed, taking a deep breath. Perhaps she was being too difficult.

"I'm sorry." Weiss collected herself. "Fine, I'll let you pick our project."

"Ooh!" Ruby chirped up from her sudden mope, dashing away with the paper in hand, leaving Weiss flabbergasted back in her seat. The heiress waited a minute before standing up, ready to go get another copy from Oobleck. Just as she pushed in her chair, Ruby appeared out of nowhere with dozens of vials of Dust samples and a wad of paper mache. Weiss carefully sat back down as Ruby held a new paper in the air with a few words scribbled on in rapid handwriting.

" _Weiss and Ruby's friendship volcano_?" Weiss read aloud as Ruby giggled happily, content with herself on a job well done. "Are you serious? A volcano?"

"Come on! It will be fun! I did these all the time back in Signal! It will be perfect!" Ruby argued with a smile plastered on her face. Weiss took a deep breath and nodded her head. If Ruby had something to offer, who was she to turn down the girl from doing something productive for once.

"Alright, Ruby." Weiss gave a hopeful smile in return. "Volcano it is."

"Great!" Ruby chirped happily, grabbing Weiss's hand before jetting them off to their dorm room at lightning speed, Weiss nearly loosing her books as they went screaming down the halls.

* * *

The volcano took only an hour at most to construct. Weiss held it together at the foundation with a well placed Glyph, stabilizing the almost crumbling structure of Mount Zardo, the most active super-volcano in all of Remnant. Half the islands and continents were created by its initial eruption, Weiss was surprised Ruby knew so much about the subject.

"I love volcanos!" Ruby chirped as she placed another layer of newspaper down, spraying some paste over it. "My dad and I would make these all the time in our village. They were so much fun!"

"Well, I am glad you're enjoying yourself." Weiss admitted she was happy for the girl. Ruby really did know how shine when she felt like it, Weiss only wished she did it more often than not. Dunce Ruby was almost as annoying as a hyperactive Beowolf.

"How are we supposed to mix the Dust together?" Weiss asked as she looked at the pamphlet Oobleck gave them on Dust they were allowed to use on their project to ensure a fair grade for everyone participating. "Half of these aren't even Schnee brand!"

"Oh don't worry! I'm a generous!" Ruby shrieked in glee.

Weiss felt her eye twitch. "You mean _genius_?"

"That too!" Ruby gave a sly smile only a mother could love, Weiss taking another deep breath out of many. "I'll just need a few specs of this..."

Ruby spoke to herself as she worked, sprinkling some earth-based Dust into a plastic container while Weiss filled the volcano with water and foam. She prayed this would work and not burn down the dorm like the last project Ruby headed. Apparently she didn't realize at the time that carpet wasn't flame-retardant, much to the shock of Weiss and the humor of Yang and Blake.

Weiss hardly paid attention to what Ruby was doing, hearing her break something glass made her cringe slightly at what she had planned before the younger girl popped out of nowhere, pouring the concoction into the volcano's core.

Bubbling began as a low gurgling sound echoed from inside the miniature volcano, Weiss gulping as she looked to her leader.

"What did you put in here again?" Weiss asked slowly as the volcano began to shake violently. The heiress took a step back as Ruby put her face right up to it, looking down at the churning water below.

"Oh just some assorted Dust! The typical things." Ruby said happily. Weiss could have sworn she heard some hesitation in her tone but shrugged it off. If she was the professional she claimed to be, who was she to doubt.

The room exploded into a cloud of dark ash and bright colors as the volcano erupted, spewing a hole through the ceiling above them the size of Zwei. The "magma" was jettisoned hundreds of feet into the air before falling straight down, landing within the model volcano with a boiling splash.

Weiss gagged as Ruby let out a howling laugh, clapping her hands in glee as her plan went from idiotic to perfection.

"That was awesome!" Ruby chuckled with glee as her expertise paid off in full. Weiss rubbing her eyes furiously as she tried to see clearly, Ruby somehow having no such issue.

"I can't tell if that worked or if it failed." Weiss rubbed her eyes, looking up at the hole in the ceiling as her vision cleared. She smelt something burning around her, not sure if it was from the volcano.

"Erm, Weiss?" Ruby coughed as she pulled off her cloak. "Don't panic."

"What do you mean don't pan-" Weiss was cut off as Ruby tackled her to the floor.

"Stop, drop, and roll!" Ruby screamed as Weiss's ponytail was on fire, rolling around with the heiress as she flailed within the confines of the red cape, getting free after a minute of struggling once Ruby deemed it safe.

A patch of Weiss's ponytail, down at the base, was missing completely, dark fibers indicating burn loss as Weiss felt the length of her hair.

Weiss screamed.

* * *

"Oh come on, Weiss!" Ruby reasoned as Weiss refused to speak to Ruby after what had happened, arms crossed on her bunk. "I'm really sorry!"

"Humph." Weiss sounded as Blake and Yang stood nearby, Yang snickering as Blake set their whirlpool experiment down carefully. "Someone tell Ruby I am refusing to speak to her until further notice."

"Don't be so dramatic!" Yang chuckled as she flashed a cocky grin towards the white haired girl. "At least now you don't need to get a haircut anytime soon!"

Weiss took a deep breath through her nose.

"Weiss? You all right?" Blake asked with a tilt of her head.

"Screaming internally, hang on a second." Weiss explained as Yang laughed.

"Oh it could be worse!" Ruby reasoned, pouting as Weiss refused to reply, climbing up to her top bunk with attitude. "I'm sorry!"

"Humph." Weiss sounded once more as she too climbed into her bed, covering up with blankets as Blake and Yang walked off to go visit team JNPR in their dorm.

Weiss shut her eyes and sighed, reminding herself to remember to keep quiet with Ruby for at least one more day.

* * *

Weiss awoke the next morning feeling completely refreshed, stretching as she got a fantastic nights rest. The weekend was finally here, much to her joy as she had so much shopping planned for her finals coming up soon. The heiress stood up slowly as she yawned loudly, almost drowning out all sound in the room.

Wait, what?

Weiss blinked as she realized her mouth didn't move, raising a brow as she looked around for the source. Yang and Blake were both missing, and Ruby looked to still be sleeping in her bed. Weiss scratched her head as she shook her mind free from the thoughts, walking towards the bathroom.

 _Yawn_!

There it was again, followed by the clapping of gums as Weiss scanned the room around her for the source, even going so far as to look above her. It sounded so close, as if it was right at her ear.

"Hello?" Weiss asked around the room as she plucked up a pair of scissors from the project the night before, looking around carefully. Where was this coming from?

" _Weiss! Go back to bed!_ " Ruby's voice echoed around her as she looked up to the girl's top bunk, seeing she was still fast asleep in her bed. " _It's the weekend! Wake me up later..._ "

Weiss blinked as she realized Ruby's mouth wasn't moving, feeling her eye twitch as she covered her ears with her hands.

"Ruby?" Weiss asked again, her own voice sounding distant thanks to her hands acting as ear muffs.

" _What?_ " Ruby asked in clear quality, Weiss's eyes going wide as she confirmed her fears, still not willing to believe what was happening.

Ruby's voice was inside her head.


	2. Daily Routine

**Mind Numbing**

 **Chapter 2: Daily Routine**

* * *

 **A/N: Thank you all so so so much for the amazing support in the first chapter! I honestly didn't expect so much support right off the bat. Thank you all so much!**

 **Hope you all enjoy this next chapter! More to come soon.**

* * *

"Ruby?!" Weiss screamed as she uncovered her ears, eyes wide as she continued to search for the source of her leader's voice. It couldn't be coming from her head. She wasn't crazy. Weiss Schnee wasn't crazy! She was perfectly sane!

" _Yeah?_ " Ruby asked from within her head, sounding like she had just partially woken up from her sleep from the night before. A loud sigh echoed throughout Weiss's mind scape as the girl in question panicked further, covering up her ears once more in an effort to silence the imaginary voice.

"Stop doing that!" Weiss screamed in frustration as Ruby woke up completely, becoming equally confused as she spotted her own body at the top of her bunk sound asleep, which was what Weiss happened to be looking at.

" _Woah! Is that a clone of me?_ " Ruby asked as she stared through Weiss's own eyes, watching herself stay completely still in her loft. " _Wait? Why can't I move anything?_ "

"Just stop talking!" Weiss shouted as she shut her eyes. "I'm not crazy! I'm not crazy!" The heiress reassured herself.

" _ACK!_ " Ruby sounded from within Weiss's head, panicking as everything went dark all of a sudden. Not only could she not move or feel anything, but she couldn't see either. Where even was she?

" _I can't see!_ " Ruby spoke frantically as if it were a life or death thing, Weiss taking notice as she slowly opened her eyes again, curious for a moment.

"What do you see?" Weiss gulped as she still didn't want to admit to the voice in her head. It did surprisingly sound extremely similar to Ruby's own, she had to admit. Weiss turned her head towards the bathroom door of their room, looking directly at it.

" _Bathroom door?_ " Ruby's voice asked in return as she was forced to follow Weiss's field of vision as she turned her head slightly towards the desks. " _Blake's desk. Now Yang's desk. Ooh! Check her top drawer! I bet it has cookies in it! The key is under that picture frame._ "

Weiss felt her eye twitch, growing more and more convinced of what insanity was unfolding around her, more or less within her rather.

"Ruby?" Weiss calmly asked, wanting to accept the evidence around her. "Is that really you?"

" _Yeah_." Ruby stated back, struggling to move her form. " _Why can't I see you? I can't move!_ "

Weiss raised a hand and ran it through her sightly burnt hair, pulling it into her vision. Streaks of charred hair danced in her palm as the heiress could heard the audible "ooh"-ing of Ruby, sounding like she had just solved a riddle.

" _Wait_." Ruby spoke to herself, still somewhat confused. Was she Weiss? None of this made sense. " _Why do I have your hair?_ "

"Ruby..." Weiss had no idea how to explain how this happened, or even what she was experiencing. Not wanting to admit to the insanity. "I think... you're inside my body."

" _You ate me?!_ " Ruby cried out as Weiss blinked out of sheer stupidity, gasping for any sense of logic and sanity she had left inside of her.

"No you dolt!" Weiss snapped back, pinching the bridge of her nose with a surprisingly firm grip. "Your mind is somehow interlocked with mine, as stupid as that sounds. To put it simply, you're stuck in my head for some idiotic reasoning I have yet to understand."

" _But how!_ " Ruby panicked. This didn't make any sense.

"Don't worry about the how, worry about the what." Weiss scolded, rolling her eyes. "How am I supposed to survive having a complete dolt roaming around in my head."

The why could wait, Weiss thought to herself. That was a question better suited for a professional. Weiss forced herself to remember to head to Ozpin's office once his hours began, he seemed like the most logical of choices to seek out for advice like this. Weiss could only hope he believed her. This was a strange set of circumstance.

"Alright." Weiss took a deep breath. "Ruby?"

" _Yeah?_ " Ruby sounding frantic, panicking in her own way.

"Okay, first you need to calm down. I don't want to get a splitting headache hearing you whimper and whine all day. Got me?" Weiss demanded as Ruby gulped in response to her attitude.

" _Yes. Okay. I'm sorry._ " Ruby spoke low and innocently, worried she was about to get yelled at.

"You're fine." Weiss explained as she tried to calm herself down. The suddenness of this situation was extremely urgent and shocking, but that didn't mean she had to take everything out on Ruby. For all she knew, this wasn't her fault. "Secondly, we need to establish what you can and cannot do."

" _What? Like, rules and stuff?_ " Ruby asked as Weiss shook her head, realizing there wasn't a need to even do so afterwards.

"No." Weiss thought how best to explain this. "I am meaning more or less about what abilities you have in there. We have already established you can see what I see. Can you do anything else?" Weiss asked as Ruby felt like shrugging.

" _I'm not sure._ " Ruby spoke after a minute. " _I don't really have a body in here. It's like I am you, but I can't do anything. All I can do is just see and talk to you._ " Ruby admitted as she hummed, not sure what to do.

"Alright... That isn't the best thing ever..." Weiss looked down at her icy blue gown, coming to terms with her options.

" _What are you thinking?_ " Ruby asked curiously.

"I'm thinking that I need to shower." Weiss groaned audibly. "And there is no way I am going in the shower with you."

" _Just skip it!_ " Ruby stammered out, Weiss feeling a strange sensation at her cheeks. She knew for a fact she wasn't blushing but had no idea what it could be. Shrugging it off as the preludes to a cold, the heiress moved over to the main door of the room, locking it shut to ensure no unwanted visitors of the Yang and Blake variety.

"A Schnee does not wander without having proper hygiene." Weiss shook her head. "I will just have to keep my eyes shut for the duration of it."

" _How am I supposed to enjoy my weekend now!_ " Ruby whined as Weiss moved to her dresser, grabbing one bundle of a wide assortment of pre-combined outfits. Weiss nodded her head as she pulled it out, hearing a sound akin to vomiting within her head.

"What?" Weiss asked as she looked at the outfit. "Oh it isn't that bad!"

" _Too much white! Needs red!_ " Ruby argued as she tried to turn Weiss's body towards her own. " _Get my cape._ "

"I am not wearing your cape." Weiss stated dully, rolling her icy orbs. "I am not in the mood to dress as a superhero."

" _Oh come on!_ " Ruby pouted. " _You yelled at me, and I feel I deserve some sort of compensation!_ "

"Compensation?" Weiss blinked. "Seriously? Will a sorry suffice?"

" _Cape or I keep pouting._ " Ruby would have crossed her arms if possible.

Weiss took a deep breath and walked over to the girl's bunk, lowering it down with the rope pulley set up by the window. Weiss gently rested the legs atop her own bed, carefully pulling Ruby's body into her own arms. The heiress caught her breath after staring at the girl's sleeping form for a few breathless seconds, taking careful notice of how peaceful she looked, like a delicate flower. A delicate rose.

" _Erm, Weiss?_ " Ruby asked within her head. " _Why are you staring at me?_ "

Weiss's eyes went wide as she realized what she was doing, snapping out of her trance as she nearly dropped the unconscious girl's body. Weiss carefully set her down on her own bed, undoing the hooks binding the cloak to her pajamas. A multi-purpose cloak, not a horrible idea the heiress figured as she folded it up into a neat square, placing her clothes atop of it as she made her way to the bathroom.

* * *

Weiss was overjoyed when she looked in the mirror and saw herself unchanged save for the burns in her hair. The heiress quickly flooded the sink with icy cold water and splashed her face, taking a deep breath as she looked up at the mirror once more. She let out a relieved sigh as the mirrored version of herself still showed no difference in appearance, smiling slightly as not all seemed lost.

"You still there, Ruby? You're being awfully quiet." Weiss noticed as she asked the girl within her, feeling the warmness at her cheeks once more.

" _Yeah? What?_ " Ruby spoke after a minute, her cheeks returning to normal temperature.

"Just making sure you didn't go anywhere." Weiss commented as she flipped on the fan to the room, placing the change of clothes on a nearby rack built for such. The heiress moved over to the shower and twisted the faucet upwards, initiating the downpour within as she twisted left to warm the water. The heiress took a step back to the mirror and sighed, biting her lip.

" _So how is this going to work exactly?_ " Ruby commented after a brief quietness, the real Weiss rubbing her chin in deep thought. " _I mean I can see everything you're doing, and if you get in the shower..._ "

Weiss heard Ruby trail off into silence.

"Like I said, I'll just keep my eyes shut. You don't see anything I can't see." Weiss explained as she looked in the mirror, nodding to herself. "Sound good?"

" _If it works I'm game. I guess._ " Ruby commented a few seconds later, a hint of hesitation in her voice that Weiss detected. Deciding not to press about it, the heiress slowly shut her eyes till all she saw was darkness.

"Are you okay in there?" Weiss asked as Ruby didn't say anything for the first few seconds after she shut her eyes, admittedly concerned something had happened to the girl.

" _I'm fine. Let's just get this taken care of, kay?_ " Ruby asked as Weiss nodded to herself, pulling down her icy gown before attempting to hang it on the door. Weiss assumed it worked when nothing hit the floor below, shrugging as she moved slowly towards the shower with her arms outstretched, feeling around to make sure she didn't bump into anything dangerous.

The heiress climbed into the shower and felt for the faucet, nodding to herself as she familiarized herself with its location. Weiss carefully handled the soap bar as she ran her hands under the shower head, building up soapy foam before she began to wash herself clean of the ashy filth from the night before. Weiss hummed to herself as she cleaned, sighing under the comforting warmth of the water above. She liked the simple things such as this. Calm, peaceful, and serene.

" _Hey Weiss?_ " Ruby asked, the heiress continuing to wash herself with the soap bar.

"Yes?" Weiss asked, slightly annoyed by the interruption.

" _Can you maybe speed up in here? I just realized something._ " Ruby spoke in a gulp, Weiss raising her brow with her eyes still glued shut.

"And that is?" Weiss asked as the girl cleared her throat, clearly struggling to form words.

" _I just realized I can feel whatever you're feeling, so if you could stop washing your chest, that would be perfect._ " Ruby's voice became quite shaky the second half of her statement, Weiss feeling heat rise in her face once more, this time sure that it was her doing.

"You feel what I feel?" Weiss asked as Ruby gave a whimper of a yes.

Weiss twisted the skin on her right arm, causing Ruby to shriek out in pain.

" _What was that for?!_ " Ruby shouted as Weiss laughed to herself.

"That is for the Dust explosion from last night." Weiss commented as Ruby let out an annoyed sigh.

" _Didn't you say you weren't speaking to me for the time being or something?_ " Ruby remembered as Weiss placed the bar back where it belonged, going for the conditioner.

No reply.

" _Weiss?_ " Ruby asked, confused.

Still nothing.

" _Oh. Right. Yeah that's really mature!_ " Ruby realized as she kept quiet, wishing she could be back in her own body.

* * *

Weiss exited the shower and carefully grabbed her personal pearl colored towel, wrapping herself up as best she could blinded before she opened her eyes, allowing sight to be granted for both herself and her partner. The room was still murky with the steam from the shower, but Weiss still could make out where she was.

" _Sight at last!_ " Ruby commented with glee as the fifteen minute shower seemed to have droned on forever. " _You would not believe how long it takes for things to happen when you have no control over your own body_."

"Oh come on!" Weiss growled in annoyance. "It wasn't **THAT** long at all! You're just being impatient."

" _Weiss, I nearly fell asleep._ " The red girl commented dully as Weiss raised her brow.

"Is that even possible?" Weiss asked, somewhat curious about what was even possible with her being trapped there.

" _I dunno. Want me to try?_ " Ruby offered as Weiss shook her head to no one.

"Not now." Weiss suggested. "We don't want to risk doing anything counterproductive until we have someone examine this situation. Ozpin's office opens up at eleven o'clock. We can go meet him then."

" _What time is it now?_ " Ruby asked as Weiss wiped the steam off of the nearby digital clock, blue neon lights reflecting back at her.

"It's nine thirty." Weiss realized she didn't even need to say that, Ruby clearly able to see what she sees.

" _Well that's just fantastic._ " Ruby groaned as Weiss pinched her skin again.

"No complaining!" Weiss ordered. "I'm not dealing with twenty-four-seven bickering with a voice inside my head!"

" _Fine_." Ruby sighed. " _What are we going to do?_ "

"I am going to shut my eyes and change." Weiss stated, grabbing the clothes. "You on the other hand, keep quiet while I do so. Deal?"

" _Okay_." Ruby spoke quietly, feeling a tad bit hurt. Weiss always yelled at her, constantly in fact, but this all felt so much more fueled than normal.

Weiss took into account the quietness of Ruby, considering her options as she shook her head free from her annoyance.

"Where was that key for the cookie drawer?" Weiss smiled as she shut her eyes, dropping her towel.

Weiss could feel Ruby light up inside of her head with a wave of glee.


	3. On the Scene

**Mind Numbing**

 **Chapter 3: On the Scene**

* * *

 **A/N: Hope you enjoy this very late chapter. Just got home from my honeymoon and I am happy to be writing after some good sleep!**

 **Thanks for the amazing support!**

* * *

Weiss and Ruby both made their way around their dorm room, taking care of several things before continuing with their day. More or less, however, it was mostly Weiss doing all of the work with Ruby chiming in randomly. Weiss wouldn't say she was getting used to this, as it was still quite annoying, but it wasn't the worst thing to ever happen.

Weiss brushed aside "her" cloak attached to the tops of the sleeves to her blue and platinum white stripped shirt, a pair of pearl white jeans covering her lower half instead of her typical combat skirt. The heiress kept her hair down unlike normal, desiring not to take the time to tie her hair into a ponytail, still keeping her tiara upon her lengthy hair.

"It's somewhat fashionable..." Weiss admitted as she toyed with "her" cloak by the mirror, noticing the rose petals falling to the floor below as she did so before dissolving.

" _Looks nice on you!_ " Ruby chirped from within the heiress, giggling to herself in glee as she couldn't contain her excitement. " _You look so cute!_ "

Weiss felt her face change hue. "I... what?"

Ruby stuttered. " _You know, you look nice._ " Ruby laughed awkwardly, trying to ignore her previous phrasing. Weiss just shrugged it off, grabbing her purse and looping it through her arm to her shoulder.

"Are you ready to go?" Weiss asked as she dabbed her lips, brushing off the remains of the cookies Ruby had begged her to consume. If she were questioned about the missing snacks, Weiss could at least rest comfortably knowing she was the last one on the suspect list.

" _Yep yep! Let's just hope we don't run into Blake and Yang._ " Ruby replied, Weiss twisting the door handle.

"- a _**stable**_ population." Yang finished her joke as Blake just looked at her in confusion.

"What?" The cat girl asked with a look of absolute loss.

"Eh, forget it. Oh hey Weiss!" Yang stopped her story and turned to face the heiress at the door, blinking in confusion as she saw her appearance. "Low hair, sis's cloak, jeans?! What have you done to yourself?!" Yang cried out in confusion and panic.

"Yang, calm down." Blake sighed as her girlfriend's eccentric behavior triggered her every so often, turning her attention to Weiss. "But yes, what is with the new look?"

" _It's the fuzz! Cheese it!_ " Ruby shouted in panic. " _They are going to think you're crazy!_ "

"U-um." Weiss gulped, wishing she had prepared an explanation before hand. "Ruby said I could use it in case it got colder down in the city?"

Weiss realized she practically asked a question back to the cat Faunus, but it was too late to go back now. She had cast the bait, all that was left was to see what happened.

Blake blinked before nodding in understanding. "That makes sense."

"But don't you have, like, ten different designer coats?" Yang countered as Blake looked to the heiress with a tilt of her head.

"You aren't defending me?" Weiss asked the Faunus, who shrugged in response.

"It's a fair point." Blake admitted as Weiss tried to stammer out a response as fast as she could.

" _Coats are overrated?_ " Ruby suggested.

"Coats are overrated!" Weiss blurted out as she dashed down the hallway towards the courtyard of the school, leaving the pair of girls alone in the hall with Ruby's sleeping body just an open door away.

"Well." Yang blinked, turning to her teammate. "That was a thing."

Blake locked the door on Yang that very second.

* * *

Weiss didn't stop running until she reached the airship depot at the docks towards the end of Beacon Cliff. The heiress practically collapsed onto a nearby bench as she caught her breath, resting her head in her hands as she rested for a minute or so.

"Never. Running. That. Fast. Again." Weiss groaned as Ruby decided not to pipe up in her head, leaving the heiress to calm down and take a breather in peace. Weiss threw her head back in relief as she felt her breathing return to normal, standing up to move to the nearby kiosk to get a punch card for the airship. Passenger 282. Could be a decent wait time, she figured.

"You alright, Ruby?" Weiss asked as she kept her voice lowered, waiting for a few students to pass by before continuing. "You've been very, very quiet. Not very Ruby like."

" _Just keeping quiet for you. You seemed really anxious and I didn't want to make that more... more._ " Ruby admitted after a brief pause, Weiss frowning slightly.

"You don't have to do that..." Weiss muttered to herself as she cleared her throat. "But thank you for being considerate."

" _So what's the plan?_ " Ruby asked as Weiss thought on the topic at hand.

"Well, I can't exactly talk to you in public. So you'll most likely be on your own for the time being." Weiss thought as she carefully whispered, another group passing by. "I can't have my reputation slandered as someone who talks to myself."

" _That's... fair._ " Ruby sighed as she followed Weiss's vision around the docks.

"Unless we can find some way to conceal myself speaking to you..." Weiss trailed off as she hummed, looking through her purse.

" _I can just keep quiet, if you want._ " Ruby offered, sounding a tad hurt. She never liked staying quiet. It always made her feel sick, like she had done something wrong to those around her. Maybe it was her lightening speed, but when things went quiet, she couldn't bear to stay calm herself.

"No." Weiss stated as she continued to dig through her purse, drawing a confused sound from Ruby.

" _No? What do you mean 'no'?_ " Ruby asked as Weiss set a few bundles of lien bills to her side on a bench.

"I'm not having my close friend uncomfortable at such a dire circumstance." Weiss stated with intent as she produced a small electronic device from her bag, extending a small mic from the object before placing it snug within her left ear. The heiress quickly pressed a pair of silver sunglasses over her eyes, brushing her hair to her side to reveal a bluetooth headset.

" _That's really smart Weiss!_ " Ruby chirped happily as Weiss adjusted the device to make it look like she was speaking into it.

"Thank you. I try my best." Weiss smiled to herself as she gathered her things. "I am in no mood for idiocies, but I am no greater in desiring you to be uncomfortable. Besides, it's... nice to talk to you."

Weiss coughed awkwardly.

" _T-thanks!_ " Ruby stammered out, unsure of how to respond. Deciding not to continue on the awkward train, Ruby decided to jump off here and now.

" _Anyways...!_ " Ruby began, clearing her throat. " _Where shall we go first, O teammate of mine?_ " Ruby asked as she toyed with her words, Weiss looking around in thought as she examined her ticket.

"Well, we first should head out to the mall." Weiss suggested, looking at the local listings of open and closed shops nearby as stated on her receipt. "That's the closest location that the ferry can take us to. Then after that is just a matter of preference." Weiss swung the purse over her shoulder. "Do you need to pick anything up while in town?"

Ruby considered her options as Weiss moved towards the airship set for the shopping district of Vale, not really sure what she wanted.

" _Maybe some new colored pencils. And a new binder._ " Ruby suggested as she thought ahead for her own finals coming up.

"No cookies or anything?" Weiss asked with a raised brow, genuinely confused as to why the red dunce hadn't asked for the treat yet.

" _Can we?!_ " Ruby asked in a very ecstatic tone, throwing Weiss off from her recently flat tone.

"S-sure. Why not." Weiss chuckled to herself as she boarded the ship, taking her seat at the very back of the ship. Everyone was practically shoulder to shoulder with one another, Weiss surprised no one had noticed the empty space next to her.

"Guess we get to chat away on the ship after all." Weiss noted as the vessel took off, jetting straight for the landing platform at the city below.

" _Cool. Didn't really want anymore awkward silences. Those aren't all that fun in my opinion._ " Ruby said as she rested calmly within Weiss.

"Agreed." Weiss brushed her hair to the side as she continued the façade with the ear piece.

* * *

The airship landed and Weiss quickly exited, thanking the pilot for his time before pressing onward towards their destination. The duo of girls marched as one, Weiss directing them both towards the massive Vale mall, one of the largest hubs of commerce on the continent. Massive marble pillars greeted the heiress to the riches within, more in specifics to the arts and general store hiding somewhere within. Weiss immediately went towards the nearest holo-map, studying the contents as she trailed her index finger around various pathways towards her goal.

"I feel we both can get what we need from the arts store, no?" Weiss asked as Ruby gave a hum in agreement, the heiress nodding her head as she found the nearest bakery on the display, marking down its location to memory.

"We can visit the bakery once we get what we really came for. Hopefully this takes up enough time for us to be able to visit Ozpin right away when we get back." Weiss thought aloud, Ruby agreeing.

" _Do you think he will believe us?_ " Ruby asked as Weiss froze, biting her lip out of concern.

"He will." Weiss sounded uncertain. True, he was the wisest person either girl knew, but this was a very odd circumstance. "He has to."

" _Maybe we can compare notes?_ " Ruby suggested, Weiss confused as she began walking towards the store.

"Compare notes? What do you mean?" Weiss asked with a confused look plastered on her face.

" _Yeah. Ozpin and I have talked plenty of times about personal stuff, so I bet if you mentioned something, he would believe us!_ " Ruby suggested proudly.

"That..." Weiss pursed her lips in thought. "That isn't that half bad of an idea. Good work Ruby."

" _Thank you!_ " Ruby chirped happily as Weiss entered the arts and crafts store, starting her hunt as she poked around the isles.

* * *

Blake frowned as she looked around the dorm room, powder from the volcano and the resulting Dust explosion still staining the carpet and most of the furniture in the dorm. The cat Faunus stretched as she passed the beds, noticing Ruby still fast asleep, laying on Weiss's bed for some reason.

"Ruby?" Blake asked aloud to no reply, frowning as she moved over to her sleeping form.

"Hey Ruby, it's time to get up." Blake chuckled nervously as she tapped the girl's shoulder, raising a brow as she felt cold.

Cold as ice.

The cat Faunus gently pressed a hand to the girl's cheek, extremely perplexed as she knew the air conditioning wasn't online. The room felt like normal temperature. Why was she so cold?

As soon as Blake removed her hand from the sleeping girl's face, a small fracture appeared upon her completion.

A crack in the ice.


	4. Worry

Mind Numbing

Chapter 4: Worry

* * *

 **A/N: Hey all! So I just completed my second week of college! Yay me! All moved in and settled now, homework done as hence this upload.**

 **Since it's my first semester and year of college, I want to focus on that as much as possible. As such, expect updates ranging from say... 2-3 times a month at best, at worst 1-2 times. I thank you all so so so much for the support and how much this story had blown up in just 4 chapters! Thank you all!**

 **Love you guys! Enjoy.**

* * *

Weiss stretched as she carefully examined the collection of various sketch books, cradling a basket full of colored pencils and a few notebooks. The heiress examined both the pricing and the type of material it contained, nodding her head at one as she plucked it up.

" _Ew_!" Ruby attempted to vomit inside of the heiress's head. " _Get the other one_!"

"And why would I do something such as that?" Weiss asked curiously as she looked around at the others. "Which one do you prefer, little miss artist?"

" _Um_..." Ruby hummed in deep though as if this were the choice to end all choices.

Ruby followed Weiss's line of sight and spotted a bright green notebook. Ruby giggled with glee as she tried to point towards it only to fail miserably.

" _That one! The green_!" Ruby shouted as Weiss visibly flinched at the intensity of her shouting.

The heiress plucked the book in question up and examined it, weighing it in hand before shrugging and putting it in the basket. Ruby gave a happy giggle as Weiss examined the things they had acquired and moved towards the cashier, pulling her purse off of her shoulder.

"Hello." Weiss smiled. "We would like to purchase these fine products if you'd kindly allow."

The man at the register blinked, looking around at the near empty store.

"We?" He asked as Weiss blinked.

"What?" Weiss's eyes went wide with confusion before they shifted to realization. "I mean 'I'! Or myself! I'm here alone!"

"Alrighty then." The worker just shrugged as he scanned each item into a plastic baggy. Weiss visibly blew a puff of air in relaxation, sighing as she looked around curiously. The heiress couldn't help but shake the feeling someone was watching her. Stalking her.

' _It's probably nothing._ ' Weiss thought to herself as her own voice echoed inside of her head, relieved that she still held her sanity.

" _Uh, Weiss_?" Ruby asked as Weiss raised a brow, moving her headset.

"Yes? What is it?" Weiss asked into the powered off device, keeping her façade as the cashier just kept working as usual, wishing he was being paid much more.

" _Did you just think of something, cause I just heard you talk but I didn't feel your mouth move_." Ruby asked as Weiss frowned in failure to understand.

"What do you mean by that?" Weiss asked as she swiped a credit card at the machine nearby.

" _I think I just heard you think._ " Ruby admitted as she felt Weiss's face scrunch in confusion.

' _Watermelon_.' Weiss thought to herself.

" _Why watermelon? Just... why?_ " Ruby asked, dumbfounded.

Weiss tested again. ' _Baby Ursi_.'

" _Not as cute a baby Beowolves!_ " Ruby chirped happily as a few animated creatures of Grimm danced around the air cartoon-like by Weiss's head before disappearing.

Weiss felt her eye twitch violently as she collected her bags, turning to leave the store.

"So now I can't keep anything hidden from you. Fantastic." Weiss sighed as she pinched the bridge of her nose. "Just don't go poking around for any new abilities, understand?"

Weiss really didn't want the girl roaming around and finding any... sensitive material.

" _Sensitive material~? Oooh! Like what_?" Ruby cooed with glee as Weiss groaned.

Unbeknownst to the heiress and dolt, an orange haired girl made her move within the store, following her out silently like a ninja.

* * *

Ruby gawked with surging glee as she practically drooled within Weiss's mind. The duo currently were inside of the nearby bakery, Weiss standing in line as she looked around at the various baked goods, not really paying much attention unlike her counterpart.

" _GET THE CHOCOLATE CHIP!_ " Ruby screamed with glee as she looked out of Weiss's field of vision, spotting another rack of cookies. " _DOUBLE CHOCOLATE CHIP?! GET THOSE!_ "

"Ruby..." Weiss sighed as she felt a rising headache threatening to come to fruition. " **Please** calm down."

" _Can't stop won't stop!_ " Ruby chirped as she decided on the double chocolate chip cookies, cooing with delight as Weiss handed the staff member behind the cash register the exact change.

"3 double chocolate chip, please." Weiss ordered as she was handed a brown paper bag moments later, nodding in thanks before exiting the establishment. Ruby giggled excitedly as she tried to look down at the bag herself.

" _Open it. Open it!_ " The girl echoed as Weiss sat herself down at a nearby bench, opening the parcel.

"If I get fat from this, I'll never speak to you again." Weiss expressed her distaste as she took a bite out of one of the cookies. Weiss didn't really care for the taste, but she could tell Ruby was having the time of her life. The heiress couldn't understand her infatuation with the treat, but if she herself had super speed, she would most likely try to eat as much as possible to keep her energy up.

" _Thank you Weissy_!" Ruby chirped as Weiss felt her cheeks change again, shaking the feeling away.

"Weissy?" Weiss asked as she forced the word out of her mouth, Ruby laughing.

" _Nickname silly!_ " Ruby would have worn an insane smirk had she been given the chance. Weiss felt the corners of he mouth twitch for but a moment before the sensation subsided, leaving her perplexed before shaking it off as nerves firing off randomly as they did from time to time.

"Right." Weiss cleared her throat to shrug off the embarrassment she felt at the moment. "Let us head back now, if there is nothing else you require?"

" _I'm all set if you are!_ " Ruby was content as Weiss packaged the rest of the cookies up, gathering her things and moving towards the exit of the massive mall. Weiss could only hope the flight back was swift. With all of the new things Ruby was learning to do, she had a suspicion that something was soon to go awry.

* * *

Ozpin took a small calculated sip from his mug, yawning uncharacteristically as he did so. The Headmaster worked long days, and this day in particular felt as if it would be the most troublesome in a fair while. A nagging feeling of dramatics and sheer stupidity ate at his mind, worrying the Headmaster quite some. He pondered what would go awry today. Perhaps a small Grimm attack. Perhaps a training exercise gone wrong with plenty of paperwork to figure out. All of the above would only act as an annoyance to his already crammed schedule of grading and organizing the staff and events.

Ozpin heard the slight ding of the elevator, propping his head up with his hands as the steel doors opened up to deposit a trio of Team RWBY, save for the W. Blake looked quite agitated, as if she were about to scream whilst Yang wore a serious look on her face, holding Ruby in her arms. The redhead's skin looked frosty and fragile, as if she were made of glass or ice.

The Headmaster immediately stood up, leaving his cane at his desk as his coffee mug nearly tumbled over. The man took Ruby from Yang as she partially struggled to hold her herself, whimpering slightly as she gave her up to Ozpin. The Headmaster quickly set her down on one of the many couches littering the walls of his office, gently pressing the back of his hand to her forehead.

A sharp cracking sound echoed off her body as he removed his hand, eyes wide in confusion as he noticed the large scar now printed like a stamp on her forehead.

Another crack in the ice.

"Keep her company. I'll be right back." Ozpin announced as he made for the elevator, pulling out his personal Scroll and making a call.

* * *

Coming Soon: Chapter 5: Winter


	5. Experimentation

**Mind Numbing**

 **Chapter 5: Experimentation**

* * *

 **A/N: Hey all! Hope you all enjoy this chapter! More to come soon!**

* * *

When Weiss arrived off of the ferry up to Beacon, she was immediately greeted by a group of Beacon Guard. These professionals were Hunters whom were not on deployment, staying at their former academy as guardians. Weiss had never seen so many in one location before. And it worried her.

"Miss Schnee." The captain of the group spoke. "Headmaster Ozpin needs to see you, now."

"Very well, I can walk there myself." Weiss began on her way, only to be stopped by two others.

"With all due respect, he ordered us to ensure you arrive." The captain expressed as Weiss slowly nodded.

"Lead the way then." Weiss allowed them to take charge and followed the escort, making a direct path towards Beacon Tower, and Ozpin's office.

The walk was relatively fast with the guard, Weiss being ushered into the elevator and sent up on her own. She hadn't a clue as to what was going on, but she was heading here anyways so it wasn't too worrisome.

 _What do you think is going on?_ Ruby asked Weiss, who shook her head.

"I'm not sure." Weiss frowned, brushing a hand through her hair. "I don't know."

 _Are we in trouble?_ Ruby worried.

Weiss shook her head. "Doubtful. We will see once we get up there."

Once Weiss arrived on the top floor of the tower, she was greeted by three people and one other. Ozpin stood right by the elevator, whilst Yang and Blake stood over what looked like Ruby's body, Yang obviously distraught to the point of tears.

"What's going on?" Weiss asked as Ozpin stepped forward.

"Miss Schnee. Good to see you arrived in a timely manner. We need to talk." Ozpin spoke as the elevator doors shut.

Weiss took a few steps forward, standing just a few feet away from Ozpin as he looked down at the heiress with calculated eyes.

"Weiss, when was the last time you spoke to Ruby?" Ozpin suddenly asked as Weiss looked over to the body of Ruby, noticing the cracks across her face. Weiss froze up.

"I..." Weiss gulped. "Last night we had an argument. We were working on a Dust project and it exploded."

"And that was the last time you two spoke?" Ozpin narrowed his eyes.

"Yes." Weiss stood confident.

Ozpin frowned.

"You're lying to me." Ozpin decided.

"What?" Weiss shifted uncomfortably.

"I have been on this planet for long enough to know when someone is trying to tell false truths. Now, for the sake of your teammate, tell me the truth." Ozpin moved closer to the heiress to give more emphasis to his words.

"I..." Weiss managed.

 _Just tell him, Weiss_. Ruby sighed. _We were going to tell him anyways, might as well tell the truth, even if he thinks we are crazy._

"Fine..." Weiss decided. "Ruby is... she's stuck in my head."

Yang, overhearing this, stood up and marched over to Weiss. Blake held her arm back as she was furious. She wasn't having this kind of stupidity at a time like this.

"This isn't time for jokes, Schnee." Yang growled.

"And it isn't one." Weiss stomped. "Ruby's mind somehow was placed into my own. I can hear her right now! It's not my fault, by the way!"

 _Hi_. Ruby offered.

"Ruby, they can't hear you." Weiss reminded the girl.

"Interesting." Ozpin, the most calm, narrowed his vision once more. "I will need proof of this claim."

"Proof?" Weiss asked. Ozpin nodded.

 _Oh! Tell him the silver eyes thing! When we first met!_

"She says that you said something about silver eyes to her the day you two met." Weiss offered.

Ozpin took a step back. "It would seem she is telling the truth after all."

Yang remained unconvinced. "That's all it took?! I don't buy it."

 _Yang burnt down a barber shop when she was six. Uncle Qrow had to pay the debt._

Weiss echoed, and Yang relaxed.

"R-Ruby?" Yang asked.

 _Hi Yang!_

"Ruby, they **CAN'T** hear you!" Weiss reminded again, sighing.

" **RUBY**!" Yang tackled Weiss into a hug. "I was SO worried!"

"Ack!" Weiss cried out. "Need... air!"

"Miss Long please remove the grip on Weiss." Ozpin asked as Yang complied, taking a step back as Weiss got up.

"Now, if you two could give me and Weiss a moment, we need to talk." Ozpin waved the other girls off.

"We understand." Blake nodded and lead Yang out of the room to the elevator, going down the tower.

Ozpin's expression turned grim moments later.

"Miss Schnee, please sit." Ozpin ushered her to his desk.

Weiss did as instructed, confused. "What is going on?"

"Weiss, tell me, have you experienced any sort of motion sickness, blackouts, or the feeling that you are not in control of your body?" Ozpin suddenly asked.

Weiss blinked. "No? What's happening?"

Ozpin ignored her. "What about your thoughts being viewed by miss Rose, shared vision, or severe headaches?"

"Y-yes?" Weiss asked, more or less.

"Good. Very bad, but good. Then we still have some time before Metafusion." Ozpin tapped his fingers together. "Miss Schnee, what I am about to tell you may not bode well, hence why I am having you sit down."

"What exactly are you suggesting?" Weiss asked, perplexed,

"This isn't the first time an event like this has occurred, nor will it be the last." Ozpin sighed deeply. "I do not wish to intentionally scare you, but I must. Listen to me carefully. Miss Rose's mind was transported to yours, and she appears to be developing abilities as time progresses from that starting point. I fear... I fear she will, eventually, reach the point of ability that she has dominance to your being."

"And what does that mean?" Weiss shook a little.

"What I am saying is that Ruby will eventually take over your body. Your personality will fade away, and you will be lost."

* * *

 _Weiss..._

 _Weiss...!_

 _Weiss!_

The heiress in question jolted up from her resting place, gasping as her breathing began once more at a normal pace. Sweat ran down her complexion as she sighed deeply, looking around at the room she was in to get her bearings.

Ozpin was talking to a bearded doctor in the other room nearby, evident by the window between the two rooms. Weiss appeared to be in some sort of ward, laying on a hospital bed with very uncomfortable pillows and paper sheets. A heart monitor was set up beside her, the heiress yanking out the cord from her body as the beeping got annoying.

 _Weiss! I'm so glad you're okay._

"Thanks Ruby. I'm glad to hear your voice again." Weiss smiled to herself, sitting up against the wall behind her. "What happened?"

 _You fainted talking to Ozpin. I guess he took you here. Your hearing cut out after you went dark, so I just kind of waited it out._ Ruby explained.

Weiss nodded to herself. "That's good, I guess."

 _Weiss... what Ozpin said..._

Weiss noticed droplets of water falling onto the paper blankets over her lap, confused before realization hit her.

She was crying. Ruby was crying.

 _I... I'm so sorry!_ Ruby begged. _I am so sorry, Weiss! I shouldn't have been so... so stupid! This is all my fault! And now... now you're gonna disappear and I don't know what to do! I don't want you to go!_

Weiss sniffled herself, frozen as she was unsure as to what to do as she heard Ruby sobbing inside of her mind. Acting quickly, having remembered that Ruby felt nearly everything she did, Weiss hugged herself tight. She wasn't going to let Ruby tear herself apart. Not on her watch.

 _W-Weiss...?_ Ruby sniffled, unsure as to what was happening.

"Stop talking. Just enjoy the moment." Weiss ordered her leader as Ruby did as instructed. Moments later, Weiss opened her mouth to speak. "There. Better?"

 _Much better_. Ruby would have smiled.

"Now let's not get all upset just yet." Weiss decided.

"Agreed." Ozpin spoke as he had entered the room but a moment earlier. "The good news is two parts. For starters, you still have a few days before the transfer would occur at the earliest. Secondly, we do have a chance to cure you. As I said before, this isn't the first time this has happened."

"What do you mean?" Weiss asked, as did Ruby.

"One such way is to replicate the exact circumstances that lead to this event. You mentioned a Dust explosion. I'd suggest you begin with that. Leave no stone unturned, as they say." Ozpin suggested as Weiss nodded her head.

"And the other?" Weiss asked. "You said that was one way."

"Indeed." Ozpin continued. "The proper mixture of Grimm blood, Deathstalker poison, and a unique compound of Dust can create a potion used to enter what we call the Astral Plane. In this state, Ruby could, in theory, transfer back to her own body. It's only a theory, and Grimm blood doesn't last long, but we have no other choice.

"So how do we go about this?" Weiss asked.

"You two with handle the Dust experiment. I will take your other teammates to the Emerald Forest and find these materials." Ozpin decided. "I wish you the best of luck."

Weiss nodded her head. "I understand. Thank you, Headmaster." Weiss nodding her head respectfully and got out of the bed, making her way back to their dorm room to begin their work.

* * *

"Come on!" Weiss groaned audibly as the Dust volcano erupted once more, failing to produce the much needed reaction the heiress craved. This idiotic homework assignment had worked once, yet now failed to do exactly what it had the other day. Baffled, the heiress stormed across the room and washed her hands in the sink, the soot and remaining neutralized Dust washing away down the sink.

 _I'm sure we are getting close to it._ Ruby offered.

"Just let me think!" Weiss growled as she made her demand, Ruby shutting up as requested.

"I... I'm sorry..." Weiss spoke a minute later. "This is just eating at me."

Weiss frowned when Ruby didn't reply.

"Ruby?" Weiss asked as the redhead failed to answer her yet again, unsure of what to do now. Deciding to just give the girl some space, Weiss continued with her work on the failed lab experiment.

' _Maybe she is just taking a nap_.' Weiss thought to herself. ' _There's no way she seriously took offense to that. Right?_ '

The heiress shook her head off of the topic and continued to work. She couldn't rest or get side tracked. This was critical. She had to fix this issue before Ruby took over her mind. Getting back to work, Weiss kept to herself as she once more prepared the volcano, pouring in the Dust, and getting to work.

Ruby lurked silently, not doing anything or saying anything. She was happy she could think for herself and not worry about intrusion. Ruby, severely bored and too afraid to speak to Weiss again, decided to actually look around at the space she occupied. Concentrating immensely, Ruby blinked as suddenly she was without the forced vision of Weiss, suddenly within a strange mind-scape the likes of which she could barely understand. Pixelated flat screens of moving pictures flew past her in a continuous cycle, displaying events she had seen before and had not.

This must be her memories Ruby realized. She could move herself, looking down at her own hands for once in what felt like years. She was in her own body again, yet it seemed... empty, like she was wearing a costume. A very fragile one at that. Disregarding it, Ruby walked up to one of the images passing by, taking hold of it with careful hands. She brought the device down to her level, gently touching the device as a large **PLAY** symbol popped up at the center. A flash of white took her vision before she was throw into the memory of Weiss.

* * *

Ruby looked around confused as she was suddenly in the team bedroom. Ruby, initially thinking she was finally out of Weiss's body, jumped with joy before she realized there was no thud as she landed. Ruby frowned as she moved to Blake's nearby bed, trying to grab one of the pillows.

Her hand passed through it as if she were a ghost.

"So, not back to normal." Ruby spoke to herself aloud, hearing no reply from Weiss as she realized she was inside of a memory.

As if on cue, the heiress in question stormed in the room. Ruby had no time to react and waited for Weiss to say something to her, or tell her to leave. She seemed furious. Surprisingly, Weiss looked straight at Ruby and said nothing, having simply looked at the clock behind her without even seeing the girl. She was but a ghost in this world. Invisible.

"That... that... dolt!" Weiss groaned afterwards, throwing her backpack across the room. Weiss looked infuriated, and Ruby hadn't a clue as to why. Had she done something wrong?

Weiss took her bolero jacket off and threw it onto the bed. The heiress clenched her fists as she hit the mattress of her bed, letting out a shrill scream in frustration. Ruby just watched as she got up and stormed her way to the dresser belonging to her. Weiss grabbed her nightgown and threw it across the room to her bedding, reaching down and pulling down her skirt. Ruby immediately covered her eyes with a crimson blush, waiting before Weiss got dressed before watching once more.

Weiss huffed as she sat on her bed. "How dare she! What kind of team leader acts like a complete child?!"

Ruby frowned. What had she done?

Weiss winced as she felt a cut along her arm, hissing as crimson dripped from her pale skin. Ruby gasped in realization.

This was the day of their first team sparing match. Each partner was supposed to work together against the other members of their team. A sort of competition. In Ruby's inexperience working with someone, she had accidentally sliced at Weiss during one of her wild attacks, injuring the girl ever so slightly. She had stormed off from the exercise and hadn't been seen since. Ruby remembered being extremely distraught, probably in the library crying to herself over how stupid she was.

"So this is where you went." Ruby gave Weiss a look of sorrow. "I didn't mean it."

Weiss didn't hear the invisible girl. Ruby just watched as she traced the cut with her fingers, cleaning it often with simply a few tissues. Her Aura would heal it over night. It just infuriated her that Ruby could be so reckless.

Ruby sighed as she remembered how she felt that day. All she did was try to think of a way to say sorry. She had even gone out of her way to write the girl a note expressing her feelings before crumbling it up as it was riddled with grammar issues, having tossed it in to her backpack and left it on her bed. She just hid in the library over night, only coming to see her team during class the next day. For some reason Weiss had completely forgotten the incident that next day, much to Ruby's confusion. She never knew why she was suddenly so forgiving.

Weiss kicked one of the posts of her bed frame, shaking the entire thing as a black backpack suddenly fell into view from above. Its contents spilt across the floor, startling Weiss for a moment before she calmed down.

"Dolt." Weiss commented, nudging aside a textbook by her foot. Weiss tilted her head as she saw a crumbled up paper by her slipper. The heiress picked the paper up with little effort, looking around before opening it up and seeing what it was.

"Dear Weiss..." Weiss read off aloud, eyes scanning down the page as she translated the grammar errors. "I am so sorry for what I did to you. I bet you hate me more than ever, but I am really super sorry. I really hope you can forgive me and we can be best friends and I'm a huge idiot and..."

Ruby remembered that was as far she she got before she shoved the paper in her bag, thinking it was mundane. She hadn't a clue as to how Weiss would react. She probably would just tear the note up and sleep or something like that.

Surprising Ruby, Weiss re-read the note. It wasn't that interesting, but Weiss kept reading it... over and over... over and over. After about the seventh time reading the short paper, Weiss looked around the room and sighed.

"Dolt..." Weiss spoke quieter, more lovingly if Ruby had to vaguely identify her tone. Weiss hugged the paper to her heart before folding it up, shoving it into the diary Ruby knew she kept inside of her pillow case. Yang had caught the girl writing in it one day, and never stopped teasing. The heiress fixed Ruby's backpack and tossed it back to its home, climbing back into her bed and resting her eyes.

* * *

Ruby was suddenly pulled from the memory back into the void she resided within. More and more memories seemed to float by than previously, as if she had unlocked them by doing that. Large signs began to float around sections of the memories as all of them suddenly came to a stop. Ruby looked around, confused, as she read the names to herself.

Beacon. Winter. Home. Atlas. RWBY. Ruby looked towards the final one as she took the time to focus on it, moving over towards that section. It was almost like a cluttered library of books, books being exchanged with distorted memory stations roughly the size of a flat screen T.V.

Subcategories began to develop around her as these memories moved to their homes. Each member had a slot of their own, Yang's mostly filled with puns and whatnot from the looks of it while Blake's seemed to be just casual conversations the heiress remembered and had stored here. Ruby's area, to her surprise, was massive.

Dozens of subsections of the memory bank rested around her at the end of a walkway. Words like "combat" and "training" along with "adventures" and "fun" floated around. Ruby didn't know which one to look into before she spotted a rather odd looking one.

A large screen sat before her, hovering in the air. Ruby couldn't make out the sign as some invisible force blocked it from her view. Deciding this was as good a place as any to look into, Ruby touched the device and was transported away once more.

* * *

Ruby shook her head as she was suddenly in the gym showers at Beacon. The place was practically empty save for one of the showers in use. Looking at the towel and the handbag that sat outside of the stall Ruby immediately realized they were her things. Therefore, she had to be in the shower.

"Why would this be in Weiss's memories?" Ruby asked herself, confused, before she saw one of the doors to the room open up.

Weiss tiptoed across the tile flooring of the community showers, looking around carefully as if she were a spy in an enemy facility. Ruby hadn't a clue as to what she was up to. She clearly wasn't showering, as she was wearing her combat uniform and had no other gear with her.

"What are you up to?" Ruby asked herself as she walked over to get a closer view.

Weiss made her way to the shower of Ruby. The heiress carefully picked up Ruby's handbag and moved a few feet away. Weiss quietly opened the bag and dug through its contents. Ruby was baffled. Was she being robbed?

Weiss produced the rolled up form of Ruby's cloak, placing the bag down as Weiss held the fabric in her arms. Weiss carefully looked around as she hugged the fabric to her chest, and much to Ruby's shock and confusion, took a sniff of the article of clothing.

Weiss let out a muffled sigh as she unfolded the cloak, wrapping it around herself. The heiress danced around like a little kid wearing a costume as she hugged herself wearing the device. The invisible Ruby just stood there with a hand over her mouth in sheer confusion, also trying not to laugh at how hilarious Weiss looked.

The suddenly ceasing of water flowing from the stall caused Weiss to freeze and panic. The heiress threw the cloak haphazardly into the bag and set it back where it belonged, quickly running out of the nearest exit as fast as possible. Ruby blinked as she still didn't get what she was watching when suddenly the area around her went white once more.

* * *

Reappearing inside of what looked like professor Port's classroom, Ruby was standing in the far back of the chamber. Port was droning on about something irrelevant to the class, while the students just kind of did their own thing. The memory Ruby sat on one side of the room, playing with a bag of fruit snacks while Weiss sat on the other side, looking at something on her Scroll. Ruby didn't even remember this event before it hit her: this was the day after finals. Port had forgotten that he had no more material to teach this semester, but still required attendance for class participation points to be earned. Ruby looked at her bored self before walking over to see what Weiss was looking at so earnestly.

Upon further inspection, Ruby realized Weiss wasn't looking at perhaps a video or reading a digital book as she initially suspected, but rather was on her camera. A zoomed in view of the Ruby from across the room greeted the invisible Ruby, Weiss simply watching Ruby play with her food. Weiss let out a content sigh as she had a daydreaming look across her face, as if she were in perfect bliss. Ruby didn't know what to make of this, or even what she had seen earlier in her ventures. Yet, slowly the pieces of the puzzle began to click into place.

"Weiss... wha...?" Ruby managed before things went white once more.

* * *

Ruby got her bearings once more, now suddenly residing inside of the dorm room once again. There Weiss sat on her bed, kicking her feet in the air as she smiled with glee, humming to herself. That's when Ruby noticed the diary belonging to Weiss rested in her hands. Ruby thought it would be best to just leave this memory. Weiss's diary was something very important to the girl. She didn't want to go snooping around...

Weiss had a red marker in hand, humming as she drew some sort of shape in the book, careful to border around something. Weiss dropped the marker to the floor and held the book close to her heart.

The fumbling sound of keys at the door caused Weiss to quickly toss the journal across her bed, standing up quickly as she kicked the marker away.

The remaining members of her team entered the room, all standing at the doorway.

"Hey princess." Yang waved. "We are about to head out to the carnival. Want to tag along?"

"Do I look five to you?" Weiss retorted.

"Guess that's a no?" Yang shrugged as the trio began to leave the room, Weiss shaking her head quickly.

"Hold on one moment!" She said quickly as she ran after them. "I haven't eaten anything so hopefully there's something worthwhile. Not that I care about the rides or anything childish!"

Ruby was all alone suddenly, looking around as she moved to the bed. Weiss's diary was open on that same page...

"Bad Ruby! No snooping!" Ruby pinched her hand. Still, the idea pushed her onwards towards the journal. Maybe one little look...

Ruby examined the objects drawn on the page, immediately taking a step back.

There, in bright red, was a perfectly drawn heart. Within the heart sat two names: ** _Ruby and Weiss._**

Ruby was flabbergasted. She didn't know what to say. Before she had time to process what she was seeing, she was suddenly yanked out of the world she resided in, more forcefully than ever before.

* * *

"Ouch!" Weiss was hit in the head by a chunk of Dust flung from the volcano, still producing no explosion of Dust like it did last time. Ruby suspected this head trauma was what yanked her to the surface, staying quiet.

"Stupid! Stupid... stupid!" Weiss stomped her foot down out of frustration. "This is impossible!"

Weiss sighed as she threw a vial of Dust at the wall, sitting down on her bed with her head in her hands, noticing the sun going down.

"What am I doing?" Weiss asked herself. "I'm a jerk to my teammate, can't even master Dust, and I don't know what to do!"

Weiss thought Ruby gone, at least for now. She didn't blame her. She was such a jerk to the girl. A top class bother. All this time she felt Ruby was the weak link in their pairing, that she was superior in every way.

She was wrong.

"God I am such a terrible person." Weiss confessed to herself. "I don't blame her, I'd hate me too."

This was how Weiss tended to vent. Ruby remembered even before this happened that the heiress would often leave the dorm and go for a long walk, talking to herself as she went along. It made her calmer, Ruby suspected, having someone speak to her about things, even if it was herself. She wasn't one to judge.

Weiss took a long, deep breath and sighed, reaching for the journal in her pillow case. Yang and Blake were still off with Ozpin looking for the ingredients to save her life, so she had all the time to herself before Ruby assumed her being, at least that much. Weiss flicked through the pages to the more recent ones, sighing as she looked at a picture tapped inside.

It was a photo of Weiss and Ruby, both smiling happily. Blake had taken the picture after the pair came first place in combat simulations, setting a new record for their grade. They had performed outstandingly.

Ruby had performed outstandingly.

Weiss felt the picture and sighed. She wondered what it would be like to disappear, to die. She doubted that it would be painful. More or less, it would probably involve a sudden spontaneous shift in personalities and maybe voice. Weiss teased the idea of Ruby speaking through her body. The idea was hilarious. Her silly words coming from such a regal figure, probably demanding cookies from a bakery. Weiss smiled.

Tear drops suddenly fell on the paper below, Weiss immediately raising a hand to her face. She couldn't feel herself crying. What was this?

"Huh?" Weiss asked.

 _I don't want you to go._ Ruby sounded. _I don't want you to go!_

"Ruby..." Weiss gulped.

 _Weiss... you told me not to look around in your head. But I got bored and needed something to do._ Ruby explained. _I just... I looked around and saw somethings I shouldn't have... but I get it all now._

Weiss felt her face turn crimson on its own, or due to Ruby.

 _I know you are cold just because you haven't known anything else. I get you don't know how to deal with me. I know you mean well, and I don't blame you for your words._ Ruby continued, Weiss feeling her tears fall faster.

 _I care about you too Weiss. I don't want you to go! I don't want to be alone!_

"Ruby..." Weiss managed again.

 _We are going to figure this out, and we are going to fix this. I promise. I'm not letting anyone or anything take you from me!_ Ruby decreed.

Weiss ran her sleeve across her vision and cleared her sight, nodding.

"Okay, Ruby. Let's get this done."

* * *

 **Coming Soon: Chapter 6: Solution**


	6. Solution

**Mind Numbing**

 **Chapter 6: Solution**

* * *

 **A/N: Hope you all enjoy! Thanks for the insane support you all have shown!**

* * *

Weiss and Ruby fell asleep that night, having been so tired at working on the Dust project that Weiss's body and psyche couldn't handle the stress any longer, collapsing on to her bed. The heiress slept soundly that night, as did Ruby within her. Resting like babies in a cradle.

When Weiss awoke, she realized she was alone. Ruby was still fast asleep, hence the slight snoring sound she could hear echoing in her mind. She kept quiet, just listening to the sounds of her friend sleeping. She sounded so peaceful, Weiss almost able to picture her next to the heiress, fast asleep. Weiss caught herself snuggling her pillow in place of the imaginary Ruby, then pushing said pillow off of the bed.

Not wanting to disturb the passenger within her being, yet wanting to get ready for the day, Weiss made her way to the shower. The heiress reached quietly into one of the drawers under the sink, placing two ear plugs into both ears. Snapping her fingers near both to test them, she was very happy when no sound registered, allowing Ruby to sleep quietly.

Weiss carefully stripped down to her pale skin and sighed, looking into the mirror as she examined herself. The girl toyed with her hair, remembering how long it was before Ruby burnt off a portion of it the other day. It felt like so long ago. Weiss looked down at her modest self, sighing as while she felt she was gifted in everything, she was certainly lacking in other... areas. Ignoring the issue, Weiss made her way to the shower and climbed in, turning on the water to room temperature. While it wasn't the most comfortable shower, Weiss thought it best to keep it as such. Ruby could feel all she felt, and she didn't want to risk jolting the girl into awareness. Weiss began to wash her hair as she listened to the sounds of Ruby, finding them utterly adorable.

Weiss hummed quietly as she cleaned herself from the Dust explosions of last night, walking over to the mirror as she wrapped a towel over her head and one around her body. Weiss posed in the mirror as she dried herself, laughing silently as she did so.

Weiss, fully aware that her team was still off on their venture, walked around the dorm room carefree. It was all hers right now, able to walk around in a towel without risking Yang yanking the fabric away and exposing her frame to everyone... again. Yang remained in a frozen block of ice for hours that day before Weiss calmed down. Moving on from that line of thought, Weiss made her way over to her bed, looking at the cloak she had worn the day before.

Ruby.

Weiss **loved** the word.

The heiress made sure Ruby as sleeping before tossing her towels aside, allowing her damp hair to drop down to her shoulders and lower in unorganized clumps. Weiss would deal with that later on, she decided, taking the cloak into hand and wrapping it around her being.

It was so, so very warm. Weiss melted into it. While this seemed quite uncharacteristic for the young woman, and she would agree with that if she could see herself do such action, this was her real self. Her true self. The one she locked away in her heart. All of the carefree, loving, and somewhat childish attributes that she once held so dear were resurfacing.

All thanks to one little red rose.

Ruby was her everything. Honestly, there wasn't much that she wouldn't do for the girl if asked. Defend an objective. Yes! Break Yang's knees. Double yes! Do her homework. Possibly. More or less, she wanted to be the best of the best for Ruby, hoping to eventually have her see Weiss in the way she saw Ruby. The same light. She wanted nothing more. She would gladly throw away her title and money if she could see Ruby in that light and vice versa. It would be a dream come true. Weiss had written about this time and time again, how much the girl in question intrigued her as much as she aggravated her. She was so... she was like a drug to the heiress. She always wanted more.

Weiss wished with all her heart that she could eventually confess herself to the girl. She just wished she knew how Ruby felt. She knew she cared much for her, that much was evident. The issue was the reasoning. Was it a reflective sign of love? Or was it rather just being a team leader? She desperately want to know.

Ruby yawned loudly as Weiss quickly shut her eyes, tossing the cloak aside as she gathered one of her towels and wrapped it around herself once more. Just in time, Ruby awoke and yawned loudly. Weiss tossed the earplugs across the room to cover her tracks, walking around with open eyes now.

 _Morning Weiss._ Ruby groggily managed out as she took in her surroundings.

"H-Hello Ruby." Weiss smiled happily. "Don't mind me, I'm just getting dressed."

 _Um, can you close your eyes...?_ Ruby asked.

"Ruby, we are both adults here." Weiss jokingly teased as Ruby let out a whimper. "One moment."

Weiss cut off her vision and changed into her standard combat wear, opening her eyes up.

 _Why the outfit?_

"Why not?" Weiss answered the question with a question. "I know not what you are concerned about."

 _Never mind._ Ruby sighed. _So, should we pick up where we left off?_

Weiss hummed as she hooked Ruby's cloak over her shoulders, wearing the warm cape as she knew Ruby would eventually request it. Ruby really did love the thing. Shaking her head as she moved to gather her Scroll, Weiss looked sadly over at the mess of an experiment that was the volcano. The heiress grit her teeth, not wanting to tell Ruby that she didn't know what else to do.

"I was thinking that we take a break. How does that sound?" Weiss suggested as Ruby was initially confused.

 _What about the Dust? Ozpin said we only have a few days left!_

Weiss put on a false smile. "Don't worry about that. We can finish up the work when we get back."

Ruby just went along with it, not really having much of a choice in the matter.

 _Okay. Where are we going?_

"It's a surprise." Weiss walked to the door. "Hey Ruby, random question but is Zwei your only dog?"

 _Zwei? Nope! He's part of this little band of puppies we adopted! You see, his mom was..._

Ruby went on and on about the puppies just as Weiss theorized she would. She needed a distraction for the girl, something to keep her fears grounded. She also didn't want Ruby to hear her thoughts at the moment, drowning them out with Ruby's own dialogue.

Weiss was worried. She hadn't been able to replicate the experiment. Unless Ozpin came through soon, Ruby would take over. Realizing this, Weiss decided that if she was to disappear, she didn't want to scare Ruby any more than she was already feeling. She wanted Ruby's memories of Weiss not to be of trying to save herself, but of all they fun they had together.

Weiss looked down at her Scroll, remembering the address of the local fair. If this really was the last days of her life, then she was going to make these last days the best she has ever had with Ruby.

* * *

Ruby was ecstatic when she realized where they were going.

Ruby loved the fair every time it came to Vale. And Weiss loved Ruby happy. Therefore, Weiss was glad the fair was around, especially now of all times.

There were so many events and festivities set up across the strip of Vale's docks, despite smelling like fish and annoying Ruby slightly, the younger girl was overjoyed to be there nonetheless. There was so much to do!

 _Can we do the bouncy house?_ Ruby chirped happily as Weiss chuckled to herself.

"At the end of you are good, sure." Weiss commented as she didn't want to get a headache from bouncing right away. "How about some games first? Then maybe we can get some fair food. How does a..."

Weiss looked up at the sign above her, feeling her body twitch at the letters she saw.

 **Triple chocolate double fried cookie-dough brownies**

 _Really Weiss?! We can get that?!_ Ruby was extremely eager even though Weiss was currently having second thoughts. The things she did for love.

"U-Um if you really want to... I suppose we ca-can." Weiss gulped as she could hear her stomach begging her not to. Every fiber in her being pleaded to avoiding the fattening meal.

But Ruby was so happy...

Weiss took a deep breath and walked over to the stand, emerging moments later with the dessert within a small paper baggy. The heiress found the nearest bench and sat down, looking at the treat the literal size of her palm.

 _Weiss! You are the best!_

Weiss smiled.

Weiss would eventually regret eating said dish almost immediately as the second she stood up she felt the pounding in her stomach, Ruby far too content with the devouring of the snack to even care. Between Ruby's sighs and Weiss's groans, they duo might as well have been communicating in gibberish for all anyone else knew. Weiss noticed how others looked as she spoke to Ruby aloud, honestly not caring to safe face. If this was to be the last time she was with the girl, she cared only about her, not what others thought. She was done being selfish. She wanted to be free.

Weiss tossed the wrapping in the nearest garbage bin and moved on with her day, leading Ruby and herself towards an array of arcade games. Ruby was extremely impatient, buzzing like a bubble bee inside of Weiss's head.

 _Faster! I wanna play them all!_

"We have time." Weiss relaxed as she strutted along in her designer heels.

 _Please!_

Weiss sighed.

"Alright, I'll move faster."

As soon as Weiss began to quicken her pace, within the time of blinking, she went from standing near a handful of concession stands to down the strip. Weiss reemerged from her seemingly random teleportation in a bundle of bushes, squealing as she struggled to free herself.

"What was THAT?!" Weiss exclaimed as Ruby couldn't hold in her laughter.

 _I guess my Semblance must have transferred too! That's pretty cool._

"How do you control that?" Weiss pondered as she yanked a twig out of her perfect ponytail.

 _I just kind of roll with it. Sometimes when I'm hungry it just happens and I don't really have control over it._

Weiss blinked. "What?"

 _Hey, look at the arcades!_ Ruby ignored Weiss as she tried to move towards the building, eventually giving up as Weiss ultimately was the deciding factor on if they moved or not. Weiss sighed as she heard Ruby make several grunting sounds in her efforts, walking at her own pace towards the building.

The arcade set up was abundant of toys and festivities to enjoy. From wack-a-Grimm to Dust-dart throwing, there were a wide range of games to enjoy. Weiss put a hand to her wallet clipped to her hip and pulled out a significant amount of cash, walking over to the nearest game.

"What is this?" Weiss asked as Ruby squeaked out happily the answer.

 _Crane game!_

"And that is...?" Weiss asked as she looked into the glass machine, noticing the dozens of stuffed animals sitting at the bottom of a pit, a large crane at the top of the machine hanging in a suspenseful manner. Weiss hadn't a clue as to what to do with it, just shoving a bill into the slot as flashing lights and music began to emit from the game.

 _You gotta move the crane with the stick and try to grab a prize._ Ruby explained.

Weiss vocalized triumphantly as she managed to lower the crane atop on of the toys. "Childs play."

The crane lifted up, holding nothing but air.

Weiss felt her eyes twitch. "Excuse me? I landed on the toy, I deserve my prize!"

 _You have to lift it up into the hole there to win it._

Weiss glared at the game. "How does that work?"

 _You just kind of have to be lucky._

Weiss narrowed her eyes as she put another bill in. "Alright crane. Don't cause any trouble, and there won't be any trouble."

Weiss looked around for a prize to get other than the one she had spotted, moving the crane around randomly before it suddenly dropped on its own.

"Hey!" Weiss stomped her foot like a child. "I didn't press it!"

 _There's a timer, look at the dashboard._ Ruby explained to the prestigious girl.

Weiss blinked. Indeed there was. Noted.

"Alright..." Weiss watched as the crane rose again without a prize.

Ruby looked through Weiss's vision. _Here! Go for that white one in the corner. The fish!_

"You mean the seal?" Weiss asked.

 _Whatever. It's sticking out a little. Just go for that one._

"Okay..." Weiss nodded along as she set the game up again, moving the crane along with her hand on the joystick. Weiss rested the crane above the plush, pressing down on the button.

The crane rose up, the seal within her grasp.

"Seal!" Weiss sounded happily.

 _Not yet. It still has to go to the door._

Weiss watched as the machine slowly brought the toy over to the left side of the pit, opening the maw of the crane and dropping the seal into the prize box...

...had it not gotten caught on the glass pane that blocked off the other toys from the player.

"No fair!" Weiss growled as she hit the machine, narrowing her eyes on the prize. Weiss carefully considered her next move, tempted to use a Glyph to just nudge the object. This wasn't fair! She had won!

 _Oh well. Let's just go try another one._ Ruby suggested as Weiss shook her head, hitting the machine once more in a mundane attempt to rescue the toy.

"No! I won fair and square. I want my seal!" Weiss stomped angrily.

The seal shook as the machine vibrated at her movement, dropping it into the prize bin as a happy sounding siren echoed throughout the building.

Weiss was overjoyed. "Seal!"

 _Hey! You did it!_ Ruby was so happy for her friend. _Good job, Weiss!_

"It was all skill." Weiss smiled confidently as she claimed her toy, tucking the white animal under her arm. "What else is there to do? What do you want to do?"

 _Oh! How about the ski-ball!_

* * *

The duo of girls spent the majority of the day on the fair grounds, visiting various shopping locations, and racking up a surprising amount of credit card debt. Regardless, Weiss and Ruby, at the end of the day, rested at the very end of one of the piers of Vale, gazing off into the sun set.

Weiss broke the calm silence, having decided what she wanted to do.

"Ruby... can we talk about something?" Weiss asked as Ruby hummed in interest.

 _Sure! What is it?_ She sounded from within.

"The day we first met, Ruby, I thought you were a complete idiot." Weiss felt Ruby flinch. "But, over the time I have known you, I learned that it wasn't you who had issues... It was me."

 _Weiss. I-_

"I can't tell you in words how great of a friend you have been to me, Ruby. I don't have many friends. When I was little, father had his fellow business men and women bring their children to visit when conducting his meetings at home. They were so stubborn and rude. I just assumed that was how people were supposed to act. But you showed me the light. You showed me what it's like to be a friend. To be a best friend."

 _Weiss, really, I-_

"Ruby, I want you to know, that I think you are the best student this academy has to offer. You are so much more than I can describe... But more to the point, Ruby, I need to tell you something important."

 _Weiss, please, just-_

"Ruby, I think the world of you. You are my friend, my only best friend... and you're more than that." Weiss gulped as she shut her eyes, blushing crimson and she was visibly shaking, her voice quivering.

"Ruby, I think I'm in love with you!"

All was quiet save for the sounds of nature and the city behind them, Weiss bracing for the stark reality of the world; that Ruby was straight, that she had a boyfriend, that she didn't feel the same, and that she was disgusted.

 _Weiss..._

Ruby's words sounded astonished, as if she were unable to say anything else. Weiss looked down at the sea, kicking her feet off of the dock above the water. She felt such pressure off of her heart and chest, as if she could finally breath correctly in all of her years. She didn't care what was going to happen now, she had done what she had always feared to do.

To tell Ruby the truth.

 _Weiss... I know._

Weiss blinked, very confused.

"I don't understand." Weiss managed out.

 _I found out yesterday. When I was lurking around your head, I found out about your doings. My cloak, during Port's class, and I saw into your journal..._

Weiss couldn't get any redder.

 _Weiss... I... I l-l-love you too...!_

Weiss held her breath as she felt tears roll down her face, laughing suddenly as she had no other response to the sheer emotional trauma she was feeling. She was overjoyed! She couldn't believe it!

"R-Ruby!" Weiss cried out as she hugged herself tight, crying tears of joy as Ruby would have done the same.

"Friend Weiss! Hello!" A familiar voice sounded from behind the heiress, Weiss freezing up as she cleaned up her tears and looked to the voice behind her with red eyes.

There stood Penny, in all her awkwardness, with the biggest smile on her face. She was ecstatic for some reason.

"And friend Ruby! Oh my! How swell!" Penny tried to smile more.

Weiss blinked. "Ruby isn't here?"

"Yes she is." Penny pointed at Weiss. "I can feel her Aura. And see it."

"You... how?" Weiss asked as she felt her head, now noticing the pulsating vibration in her being.

She could feel Ruby's Aura.

"Penny!" Weiss got up and ran up to her. "Penny, you can see that she is inside of me?"

"Of course! Although it is rather odd." Penny noted. "I didn't know Ruby's Semblance was a shrinking ability! How spectacular!"

"She didn't shrink." Weiss admitted. "A Dust explosion caused this. Her mind was transferred to mine."

"How very interesting!" Penny smiled again. "That is truly wonderful!"

"Yes yes, it's great. Now, since you can see her, is there anything you can tell me about getting her out?" Weiss asked, very hopeful.

"Why would you want such course of action to occur? If you do that, then she wouldn't be as close to you as she is!" Penny argued.

Weiss twitched.

"Because... if she doesn't get out of me, I'll disappear. And then you would lose one friend. You don't want that, do you... friend?" Weiss pleaded.

Penny shook violently.

"Lose... friend? No! Erm, I mean... oh no! That would be just awful!" Penny managed as she didn't understand the concept of losing a friend, only making them. Weiss smiled happily, understanding that her message went through. "How did this occur, may I ask?"

Weiss explained the events leading up to the explosion, Ruby just keeping to herself as she processed what had just happened.

' _Weiss...'_ Ruby thought. ' _Weiss loves me..._ '

"And that is about the summary of the situation." Weiss finished her report to the automaton before her, who nodded in total understanding.

"Have you tried doing the procedure with Ruby in the room?" Penny offered.

Weiss wanted to vomit.

Really? That's what she was missing! The dolt's body?! Of all the things wrong, it wasn't the Dust! It was literally Ruby! She was a master of her craft! Why did she even go as far as to doubt herself?! Stupid! Weiss continued to scold herself for her own incompetence as Penny droned on about how she would be heartbroken to have lost a friend.

"Thank you so much, Penny." Weiss gave the girl an earnest hug. "I am so grateful! You are my favorite person at the moment."

"Favorite!" Penny was in bliss. "Now I have two best friends! Oh yes! This must be the pinnacle of life! I am overjoyed!"

Weiss gathered her things and began to run off.

Weiss managed to call out a thank you before Ruby's Semblance activated once more, sending the girl rocketing down the pier faster than even Oobleck. Penny simply stood there in marvel of her accomplishments, running off moments later to contact her father on how much progress she was having in Vale.

* * *

For once in a good while, Weiss saw a glimmer of hope on the horizon.

It might as well have been the street lamp she flew past, but still the metaphor stood.

"How do you stop?!" Weiss shouted in fear as she was nearing the airships to ferry her back to the academy they called home. Ruby, still partially flustered, babbled on about something irrelevant as Weiss quickly jammed her heels into the ground.

Luckily, Weiss wasn't on fire when she finally stopped, safe and sound after the warp speeds she uses getting to the shipyard. Ruby was still in a daze, murmuring about Weiss as the heiress boarded the next ship out.

"Ruby, you're going to give me a headache if you keep murmuring." Weiss commented as Ruby yipped, going quiet after apologizing.

Weiss looked out the window at the rising academy in the distance. They were so close to the cure! It was within their grasp!

Weiss shuttered violently as she fell back in her chair, gasping for breath as Ruby was in a panic, calling out for Weiss and help, to no avail. Weiss gripped her head within the nearly empty air shuttle, slumping over in her seat moments later as her breathing slowed. The pain suddenly dissipated, leaving the Schnee heiress to recover from the shock as Ruby was in a frenzy, worried to bits about the state of her teammate.

 _Weiss! Weiss! Just breathe Weiss!_

Weiss gasped for breath, shuttering as she finally began to stabilize her breathing. The heiress just laid there, in shock and in fear as to what would happen if she did anything else.

 _Weiss! Please! Weiss! Just listen to the sound of my voice!_

"S-Sound..." Weiss stared at the back of the seat before her, focusing on Ruby. She felt a pull at her being, a tug as she began to zero in on the girl's voice. It relaxed her, made her calm.

Moments later, Weiss gathered the courage to sit up, feeling slightly light headed. The Schnee heiress looked absolutely horrified, clearly unnerved as a deer in the headlights. She carefully looked around at her surroundings, taking one last deep breath.

"I... I'll be okay." Weiss managed out, her throat dry as she held the plush seal close to her heart. "Just... need a moment."

Ruby gave Weiss her time, sitting patiently in wait as Weiss finally was able to relax fully.

 _I think my mind is starting to take over. Ruby thought aloud. We need to hurry._

Weiss nodded along in agreement. This was a very delicate situation they were in. The heiress impatiently awaited the airship to dock with Beacon's main hub, immediately dashing towards the last place she had seen Ruby's body: Beacon Tower. The heiress plowed past any opposition in her way, determined to get there as fast as possible to finally end this debacle once and for all. She had to remind herself to thank Penny properly if this indeed worked at some point.

The pair of Huntresses-in-training rose up the elevator of the tower, moving up to Headmaster Ozpin's office towards the tip of the spear. As the doors folded into themselves the heiress ran into the room, moments later she would be frozen as she looked around.

Panic crossed her face as she took in her surroundings.

No one was there, and Ruby's body was missing.

* * *

 **Coming Soon: Chapter 7: Search and Rescue**


	7. MIA

**Mind Numbing**

 **Chapter 7: MIA**

* * *

 **A/N: Here you all go! Hope you enjoy! Thanks again for the outstanding support!**

 **As for one of the reviews by Ww4, I may see if I could do a story such as that. I actually had an AU story planned involving time travel but I trashed it. I'll see about it.**

 **Thanks for all of the reviews, favorites, and follows everyone! Love you all!**

* * *

Weiss frantically dashed her way towards the medical ward of Beacon, the best chance for her to find the missing body of Ruby, she suspected. After all, besides Ozpin's office, she had not a clue as to where the body would be. Blake and Yang were still out with the Headmaster in question, and undoubtably were out of range from Scroll contact as Weiss tried her best to reach the rest of her team just before she jolted off towards the ward. Things were looking awfully grim, no pun intended.

 _Weiss! Where are we going?_

"Medical ward office. Where we were before Ozpin left on his mission." Weiss explained as she had forgotten to indulge the girl in her head the idea she had. Weiss had figured Ruby would have known just by hearing her thoughts, but oddly enough she must have not. Weiss shrugged the concern off as she traversed Beacon, eventually coming up on the building she sought.

Weiss flung the doors to the ward open as she marched towards the first person she saw on staff. The younger nurse looked slightly older than she, busy with a clipboard in hand. The woman raised a brow as Weiss came to a halt just before her, a bored expression on her face.

"Can I help you?" The woman asked as she crossed her arms.

"I was here yesterday with Headmaster Ozpin. I'm looking for Ruby Rose." Weiss stated as Ruby nearly spoke up to remind Weiss she was in her head before she realized what she meant.

"Miss Rose... Miss Rose..." The woman looked over a piece of paper, reading off names in her head. Weiss felt so impatient, wanting to steal the paper away and figure this out as soon as possible. The heiress forced off the urge to do so, thinking it unwise to assault a nurse.

"Ah, here we go." She spoke up as Weiss visibly brightened. "Looks as if she is... on the fifth floor, room-"

The woman looked up and realized the heiress was already gone. Shrugging off the incident, the nurse just sighed and went along with the rest of the little remaining time in the day.

* * *

Weiss opened practically every door on the fifth floor before she eventually stumbled upon Ruby's body. The girl was plugged into several machines, Weiss taking note of how cold her body looked. She seemed almost frozen in ice as scars marked her body like fractures on a frozen lake. Weiss carefully unplugged Ruby from the support systems keeping her body as comfortable as possible in her condition, nearly yanking her hand away at how frigid her being felt. Weiss assumed this was what a Human would look if they lacked a soul, void of being and meaning that they become simply a frozen shell of their former self. Weiss shivered at the thought as she carried Ruby over her shoulder.

 _Hi me!_ Ruby chirped out. Weiss tried not to laugh at how ridiculous this all was.

The heiress booked it out of the hospital room, dashing past doctors and nurses that exclaimed out to her to cease her running and return Ruby. Weiss didn't care if she got in trouble, or even if she got expelled and arrested. All she cared about was Ruby.

* * *

The pair eventually reached the dorm room belonging to them, Weiss fumbling with her Scroll to unlock the electronic lock before busting into the chamber. Weiss tossed Ruby's body on to her own bed carefully, readying the experiment to the best of her knowledge.

"Where were you standing?" Weiss asked as she poured in the concoction needed to detonate the volcano, the heiress moving to the side of the bed.

Ruby went quiet, thinking as she let out small sounds of unsureness. Concerned as to what to say, Ruby gulped audibly.

 _I... I don't remember._ Ruby sniffled a she tried to recall.

"Just think, Ruby. Just let all your worry go and think. Back to that day." Weiss pleaded as she went quiet herself, allowing Ruby to concentrate.

 _I... I think I was to the left of you... I think..._

Weiss carefully lifted Ruby up, bringing her body over to the experiment site. Weiss generated two Glyphs to hold Ruby in place as Weiss let go of her, standing to the side where she felt like she had been standing at the time. Weiss nodded to herself as she grabbed the components to commence the experiment, dropping them inside...

A massive explosion rocked the room as Weiss and Ruby were thrown back, the Glyphs having been broken as Weiss fell. A cloud of ash coaxed the room, leaving sight to a bare minimum of just what was directly in front of Weiss. The heiress coughed violently as she heard the bubbling of the "magma" inside the device, the cool "lava" pouring on to the floor as the air began to clear. Weiss groaned as she stood up, gripping her head as a massive headache threatened to form. The heiress couldn't hear Ruby, wondering if this was truly the end.

"Ruby?" Weiss asked as nothing replied. Worry gripped her alongside joy. Ruby seemed to be gone from her mind, but she couldn't locate the girl. Weiss looked around, trying to find Ruby before she located her body atop Yang's bunk. Weiss lifted the Rose into her arms, seeing as she still bore the frozen features.

"Ruby?" Weiss asked the still form of her partner. "Ruby? Are you okay? Please.. please wake up...!"

A sharp hiss shook her mind as she stumbled to the side, dropping Ruby to the ground as Weiss fell, landing on her side as she coiled up into a ball. Weiss screamed out in pain as she felt like crushing her own skull to relieve the pain she felt, worse than any headache she had ever experienced. This lasted for nearly a minute as she whimpered in fear as the sensation came down, crying from the pain she felt as she kept her body in its position.

 ** _W-Weiss...!_** Ruby's voice called out from within her, sounding distorted and in pain.

"R-Ruby..." Weiss managed as she gasped for breath, feeling her lungs not listening to her and instead following a different breathing pattern. Her heart did the same, as if it were to burst from her chest.

" _I... I... It hurts! I... Weiss!_ " Ruby cried out as Weiss felt her lips move on their own, the very words Ruby spoke coming from her own mouth, her own voice.

"R-Ruby..." Weiss sobbed again as she felt her being shutter, a slight vibration emitting from her Scroll nearby. Weiss reached for the glass case and opened it up, the still face of Yang greeting her as the voice call began.

" _Hey Weiss! We are heading to the academy. We got what Ozpin needed._ " Yang informed the girl, Weiss whimpering as Yang's tone changed to one of fear. " _Weiss? Weiss!_ "

"D-Dorm..." Weiss shook in fear of more pain to come. "H-Hurt... Please... help..."

" _We are coming! Keep hanging in there, Weiss!_ " Yang assured her before hanging up, leaving Weiss and Ruby alone to their pain.

Weiss coughed weakly as she tried to get up from her current state, falling back on to the floor. The girl winced as she opened her mouth to speak, using a great amount of effort to do so.

"D-Do... Do you think it was the... the Glyphs?" Weiss asked as Ruby groaned in pain inside of her head, struggling to keep herself from merging with Weiss. Ruby resisted the strange pull she felt inside of the girl, grunting in defiance.

" _I... I... It must have quickened the process..._ " Ruby spoke through Weiss as she tried to resist. Weiss looked around the room she was trapped in, ending up locking eyes with the small plush seal on the floor near her bunk. Weiss laughed audibly, choking on her own humor as she recalled the fun they had in the hours earlier. It was a good day, Weiss thought.

"I... I... It feels so warm..." Weiss noticed as she began to relax in her state, eyes growing droopy as she suddenly felt tired. So very tired indeed.

" _Weiss! Stay awake!_ " Ruby pleaded as she feared what was happening. " _Weiss, stop! Keep your eyes open!_ "

Weiss chuckled quietly as she began to slump her head to the floor, taking in the sights around her once more as she let out a puff of compressed air. The heiress smiled gently, so very tired.

"I... I'm sorry, Ruby..." Weiss spoke before she laid down and drifted off, Ruby calling out to her as the heiress faded away into the darkness...

* * *

 **Coming Soon: Mind Numbing:**

 **Chapter 8: Loss**


	8. Lost and Found

**Mind Numbing**

 **Chapter 8: Lost and Found**

* * *

 **A/N: Sorry for the delayed posting for this story. It was finals time for University when I last uploaded, or at least I had to study around then. I planned on updating sooner but I have had some personal issues the last few days. So please forgive me for the delay! One or two more chapters to go from here, so I hope you enjoy!**

* * *

Weiss, or at this point Ruby, gripped her head in pain. The girl of white groaned as she stood up, stumbling around as she couldn't get her bearings. Everything felt foreign to her... So strange indeed.

Ruby gasped as she realized she could move her own being once more, looking around rapidly as she was free to do so. The girl would be almost happy had it not been for the major detail of her new found abilities.

She _was_ Weiss.

Ruby looked at the mirror beside Yang's desk and froze in place. She was Weiss indeed, moving her hands around as she had become her partner. Her voice quivered as she asked aloud if anyone was there, fearing the silence.

"W-Weiss...?" Ruby asked quietly as she waited a moment afterwards.

No response.

She couldn't feel anything in her head, trying to get a feel of this new form. A sharp headache gnawed at her, causing the girl to drop to the floor as she fought off the pain. It was all so surreal. It couldn't be reality. No, this had to be fake!

"Weiss..." Ruby cried to herself as she leaned against the bed of the girl she occupied, sobbing to herself as she held the plush seal close to heart. It was all she had left of Weiss. Her friend, she was gone.

The door to the dorm room was flung open, the flock of friends entering as Yang and Blake ran to her side. Ozpin stood just behind them, holding a potion in hand. His face looked grim as he saw the remains of the explosion, spotting Ruby's body across the room and the horrified look on Weiss's face.

"Oh dear..." The Headmaster kept his position, thinking deeply as he considered his options.

"Weiss? Are you okay?" Blake asked as Ruby sobbed into her hands, refusing to look at her friends.

"W-Weiss... she..." Ruby spoke through Weiss in a broken voice as Blake put two and two together, stepping back as she cupped a hand over her mouth in shock and fear.

"Ruby...?" Yang asked as Ruby nodded sadly, the brawler enveloping her sister into a deep hug. The pair held one another in sadness, Ruby crying her icy eyes out as Ozpin stepped forwards, taking hold of the situation.

"Girls. Listen to me." Ozpin thought as he looked to the body of Ruby nearby. The shattered appearance of the girl seemed to have stopped now that Weiss had been ousted from control of her own body, yet still she looked frozen and cold. "Miss Belladonna, bring along miss Rose. Ruby and Yang, I need you two to gather yourselves and come with me. There is little time to waste."

Ozpin moved out of the room and down the hall, pressing onwards as the group of girls looked to one another. The trio decided that Ozpin must have had something planned, doing what they were told and moving out of the room. Blake held Ruby's body in her arms, bringing her along with the group to their destination unknown.

* * *

Ozpin pressed his Scroll against the elevator of the CCT, the automatic computer system reading off his identification. Pocketing the device, the Headmaster then planted his right palm against the very same scanner, which read the impression and his fingerprints for confirmation.

"The Vault." Ozpin spoke to the artificial intelligence within the machine, a sharp ding sounding as they began to descend to the depths of the structure. The group looked anxiously around as they traveled further and further into the dark below Beacon, eventually exiting within a massive underground complex.

"This way." Ozpin spoke quickly as the Headmaster lead the group down the hallway of the basement, the Vault flooded by deafening silence. Ruby still cried to herself as Yang held her close. Blake moved quickly with Ruby's body in tow, begging the gods above that Weiss wasn't gone forever as she feared.

The group turned a corner, away from a machine housing an injured woman the girls did not know. Proceeding down another hallway the group stumbled upon a separate chamber, within sitting two tables with various inscriptions drawn.

"Set Ruby down on this table." Ozpin spoke quickly as he set down the flask of the potion. "We need to move quickly. Miss Rose, lay here please."

Ruby did as instructed and climbed atop one of the tables, looking over at her former body. She looked so cold and broken. Tears welled up as she could only think of Weiss.

Ozpin pressed the potion into her hands, ushering her to drink.

"You need to lay back in order for the procedure to begin." Ozpin spoke as Ruby drank a long sip. It tasted smooth like apple cider, something Yang would make occasionally. "You will experience a sensation of nothingness, then transcend into your astral being. A ghost, if you will. If we hope to retrieve Miss Schnee, you must find a tether of her being and reach out to it. Something she has attachment to."

Ruby nodded, laying back in against the metallic display.

"And Miss Rose?" Ozpin spoke as he latched a device above her head. "As you are going to be venturing to a place outside of our reality, you may witness things you will not comprehend. But listen to me. Please, do not let anything else return with you besides Miss Schnee."

Ruby went to ask to what he was referring to when suddenly a massive tug yanked her very core. Her vision went dark and she swore she felt her very Aura and Soul disassociate themselves from her being. Then her world reemerged in a flash of brilliant white light to which she was blinded by.

Ruby felt her entire being jolt again in a flash, and suddenly she could feel nothing anymore, yet she still could. It was so very strange for the small Rose. She blinked as she took in her surroundings, finding herself floating in the air above the room in which her friends sat. She looked down to her hands, finding herself in her old form, oddly enough. She tried to touch her being, which she had been gone from for so very long, but found her arms only faded through themselves. Ruby was a ghost, in all sense of the word. The Rose tried to call out to her friends, realizing that they couldn't hear her let alone see her.

"Guys?" Ruby asked as she floated down to their level, waving a hand in front of Yang. The group simply watched in both eagerness and fear as to what would occur now that Ruby had gone under. She wondered if time was still flowing normally, as it took them a while to even blink or breathe as she floated around aimlessly, still growing accustom to the sensation.

Ruby remembered her job, floating around the room. Ozpin had said the portal would be somewhere with Weiss's essence, attached to something meaningful. But she hadn't brought anything, had she? Would she really need to move all the way to their dorm to find anything.

Then it struck her: the seal!

Ruby floated over to the object, noticing a faint glow within the left eye of the plush. Ruby gently reached out and tapped the orb, finding herself yanked into another reality.

* * *

Ruby appeared in a snowy forest, the ground densely packed with the fluffy powder. The girl looked around at the dense brush as she walked forwards, finding her footing in this strange place. She figured she was in some sort of afterlife, or an endless dream perhaps. It was peaceful, yet she sensed it hid something vile and sinister. Not the Grimm, but something else. Unsure of what to do, the girl proceeded forwards, making imprints into the snow with careful footsteps. Her figure glowed faintly as she went, looking around nervously for anything. She expected more than just this... endless forest. It seemed familiar, but it clearly wasn't the Emerald Forest... no... it was as if she had seen this place in a dream.

Ruby walked for what felt like miles, eventually stumbling upon a small clearing. Within the ring stood a single woman of white hair who looked confused and lost, and Ruby couldn't be happier.

"Weiss!" Ruby screamed out as she ran forwards to greet her, anxious to take her home.

"Ruby?" Weiss asked, turning around to face the red headed girl she knew. Weiss had a faint white glow around her, as if she were an angel. "Ruby? What are you doing here?"

Ruby hugged Weiss as tight as humanly possible, or in this case spiritually. Ruby didn't really care about the literalist sense of the situation. All she cared about was Weiss.

"It's so good to see you!" Ruby sobbed as Weiss held her close. The pair held one another for what seemed like an eternity, basking in the glow of one another as they had once feared they would never see the other again.

"Ruby? How did you get here?" Weiss frowned for a second, the smaller Rose hushing her partner.

"It doesn't matter. I'm here now and I'm getting you out of this place pronto!" She sighed deeply, eyes locked to hold her tears back.

Ruby clearly opened her eyes for a moment, looking just behind Weiss through the tears as a look of horror began to develop on her pale face.

Far off, she spotted something else.

Some _ **one**_ else

Another angelic looking woman, looking withered and aged. Long scythe in hand, bent and contorted as if used for cutting crops rather than enemies. An ancient cowl hid her face, but her mere presence signaled fear into Ruby's being as she dragged her feet along the thick snow.

And she was moving towards them with agonizing steps.

* * *

 **A/N: More hopefully to come soon. Love you all!**


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